ePOD Delivery Log (Proof of Delivery)

Specificity and contemporaneity. It should identify the shipment (order/consignment number), the time and place, the receiver (name, and signature or equivalent), the condition (clean receipt or noted exceptions), and the evidence type — captured AT delivery, not reconstructed later. Photos should show the parcel at the identifiable address; signatures should attach to a named person. Courts and claims adjusters weigh contemporaneous records heavily; a delivery log maintained in the ordinary course of business, entry by entry, is strong evidence even in this simple form.

For doorstep/residential delivery, usually yes: a timestamped photo of the parcel at the recognizable address proves placement in a way an illegible squiggle doesn't, and it survives the 'nobody was home, who signed?' problem. For B2B freight, the signature (with printed name) still matters because it identifies WHO accepted on the consignee's behalf — the strongest practice is both. PIN/OTP methods are stronger still for identity (the code went to the customer's device) but prove nothing about condition. Match proof type to the dispute you're most likely to face: placement, identity, or condition.

Because operationally it isn't done — it's a delivery you can't defend. The claim that arrives three weeks later ('never got it') meets no evidence; the invoice tied to it can be disputed; and a driver pattern of proofless completions is either a training problem or worse. The discipline: proofless deliveries get flagged the same day, confirmed with the customer by call or message (and the confirmation noted), and counted in the summary where the rate is visible. A healthy operation runs this number near zero; a rising count is the earliest warning of process decay.

At least as long as claims and payment disputes can arrive: freight claims under common carriage regimes typically allow 9 months to file (with suits up to 2 years), commercial payment disputes run with your invoice terms and statutes of limitation, and e-commerce chargebacks arrive months after delivery. A practical floor is 1–2 years, longer where contracts specify. Storage is cheap; the expensive event is the one claim you can't answer. Export the CSV periodically and archive it with your shipment documents — the log here lives in your browser, so back up what matters.